Did Britain apply lessons from America in Malta?

Had Britain learned from America to avoid antagonizing Malta's population?

The comparison has limits. British authorities in the 1770s expected American colonists to react like people in Britain, while fighting France competed for capable commanders. Some officials in America did warn London against antagonizing the population.

British treatment of Malta's institutions invites comparison with the earlier alienation of American colonists. One explanation is that British authorities still regarded the colonists as British people and underestimated how their outlook differed. Fighting France also competed for capable commanders. A viewer points out that officials in America warned London against antagonizing the population. That qualification is accepted, so the argument does not imply that every commander in America was incompetent.